Page 50 of Digging Deeper

“Please, let me do this for you.” He nods his head reluctantly, and as I turn to exit the room, I see a ghost of a smile appear on his face.

Gavin tried to get me to come sit with him while he ate, but I’d had things to do.

“Drix, I’m sorry, I have to go so I’m not late for work,” he calls out as he rushes down the hall, coming to a screeching halt when he sees I’m standing at the front door with a to-go cup of coffee, his keys, and a compartmentalized food container with its companion thermos. “What’s that?”

“It’s your snacks and lunch for today.” I grin, completely proud of myself. “There’s strawberries and grapes, along with baby carrots, sliced cucumber, pita rounds, red pepper hummus, and soup for lunch.”

“Okay,” he says as I hand him all of his things. “Thank you?”

His bemused expression is adorable, so I continue with, “Oh, and don’t worry about dinner. I’ve got that covered, too.”

“Ah—”

Leaning into him, I cut him off with a big smacking kiss on his lips, complete withmwahsound effects for good measure. Gavin rolls his eyes at me as he steps back with one hand on the door. “Have a good day. And text me on your breaks.”

He’s halfway out the door when he looks over his shoulder. “Is there a reason you’re so fixated on feeding me?”

“You deserve to be pampered, so I’m going to work with I’ve got right now while I’m limited. I’ll wine and dine you and take you on epic dates soon enough, but for now, I can make sure you’re fed at least. Try to make your work days easier.”

He bites the corner of his lip, his hand still on the door. I think he has something to say, but instead he gives his head a little shake and walks out, closing the front door firmly behind him. I cross to the front window as quickly as possible so I can watch him go. Thankful he can’t see the lecherous grin on my face while I watch his bubble butt bounce to his car, my lips stretch even wider when he bends over to lay his lunch into the back seat. That ass, though…

* * *

It’s beenfour days since I startedOperationWoo Gavin. When I go to his room to get the dogs for their morning pee, I startle finding his bed made, him and the pups missing. “Gavin?” I call out and lean heavily on the cane as I hobble down the hall from the bedrooms. My legs are improving every day, but first thing in the morning is still harder for me until they have stretched from moving around.

“In here,” he calls from the kitchen. On the kitchen table are two boxes of cereal, milk, and he is placing a mug of coffee in my spot at the table.

“What’s this?”

He smiles smugly. “Well, as much as I appreciateOperation Woo Gavin, I’d actually prefer to spend time with you in the morning before I leave for work. Between you taking out the dogs, cooking breakfast, and making up the food tray for me to take, we barely say more than good morning.”

My face heats as I sink into my chair. “Who told you aboutOperation Woo Gavin?”

“No one had to tell me, since I’m experiencing it. If you’re referring to the adorable name you gave it, I heard you talking to Aiden on the phone last night.”

“Huh.”

Gavin reaches over and lays his hand over mine where it rests on the table. “Drix, I appreciate it so much, I do. But you’ve made my all of my meals, done all of the laundry, taken care of the dogs—”

“Not their evening walk,” I interrupt.

He chuckles. “No, not their evening walk, but you’ve done everything else. Plus, you’ve done the food shopping—”

“Which isn’t a hardship since I ordered online and had them delivered.”

“True, but it didn’t escape my attention that you managed to get all of my favorite foods.” He smiles at me fondly, an expression I’ve become addicted to over the last week. There’s probably not much I wouldn’t do to guarantee his eyes focusing in on me with that glimmer in the chocolate brown orbs. I want to drown in them while continuing to put that syrupy sweet curve to his lips. He continues, “You also had a bouquet of flowers delivered to me at work, which were gorgeous by the way, and you were plotting and planning with Aiden what else you could do for me from home. It has to stop.”

A frown pulls down at the corners of my mouth. “You liked getting flowers, though, didn’t you?”

He gazes over at the fall mix of flowers, oranges and yellow with black, glittery roses tucked in, that he had set on the counter two days ago. “I did. Trust me, I’m not complaining. But you don’t have to try so hard.”

“I want to make you happy.” I flip my hand over underneath his. “You’ve done so much for me. You motivated me to get up and walk again when I hadn’t ever been all that kind to you, even if you were tricky about it. You brought me my favorite candy on more than one occasion. I just want to show you how important you are.”

Gav snorts. “You’re letting me stay in your house. And you still haven’t given me an amount to give you for rent.” He gives me the stink-eye, which on him is the cutest thing. “You let me get Brutus and Nana, who tore up your couch.”

“Which you replaced.”

“Hendrix.” He sighs, his frustration exhaling in one hot blast of air. “Okay, so how about we agree that we’re even?”

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